In 1974 the Obesity Research Center was established within the Division of Nutrition and Metabolism under the direction of Dr. Theodore B. Van Itallie. The Obesity Research Center is designed to provide both the leadership and the administrative matrix for fostering productive cooperation among participating investigators. Key areas of investigation of the center include: 1. The adipocyte, in terms of: a) growth, development and metabolic function related to nutritional, hormonal, and genetic influences: b) its biochemistry, particularly the effect of and development on DNA polymerase activity; c) the effect of nutritional and endocrine status on lipogenic and lipolytic responses; and d) the relation, size, number, and nutritional and endocrine status to its ability to bind insulin. 2) Regulation of food intake in: a) lab animals (using a combination of behavioral, neurophysical, metabolic techniques; and b) lean and obese subjects (using "feeding machine", preload, other human behavior studies and application of recently developed psychophysiological and psychophysical methods. 3) Metabolic studies of obese subjects to ascertain the effects of composition of low-calorie diets on appetite, clinical status, composition of weight loss, resting metabolic rate, thermogenic response to food and exercise, and effect of various forms of intestinal bypass on absorption of nutrients and composition of weight loss. BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES: Van Itallie, T.B., M. Yang, and S.A. Hashim. 1975, Dietary approaches to obesity: Metabolic and appetitive considerations. In Recent Advances in Obesity Research: 1. A. Howard, editor. Newman Publishing, London. 256-269. F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer and T. B. Van Itallie. Obesity and diabetes. In Diabetes Mellitus (fourth edition). K. E. Sussman and R.J.S. Metz, editors. American Diabetes Association, New York, 1975.